Cupid was still waiting outside,
pacing nervously. "Is there anything I can do, Uncle Herc?" he asked,
avoiding looking at Iolaus.

"No, Cupid, nothing.
But thanks for your help in getting me here," said Hercules wearily.

Cupid gestured to the gold
bracelet still on Iolaus' wrist. "Um, I gotta get that back to Mom,
or she'll have me for breakfast."

Iolaus started suddenly,
shuddering at the sight of the bracelet. "Here, take it!" he gasped.

Cupid removed it, feeling
extremely uncomfortable. "Well, Uncle Herc, Iolaus, I gotta split."
He took off, much to the relief of both men.

Hercules turned to Iolaus,
taking both of his hands between his own larger ones. "Iolaus . .
. gods . . . what can I do?"

Iolaus freed his hands and
gave an edgy shrug. "Hey, he fixed me back up. I'm as good
as new."

Hercules shook his head slowly.
"It doesn't work that way, my friend. It's not that easy. What
would you like?"

Iolaus looked down at the
ground, kicking at one spot in the dirt repeatedly with one foot.
"You're right, Herc. I'd like to go home--and could you stay with
me for a while? I . . . don't want to be alone."

"As long as you need, and
whatever you need," said Hercules gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

They began walking in strained
silence. Every so often one of them would look at the other as if
about to say something, but would then change his mind and remain mute.
Both were lost in thoughts of the feelings for each other they'd been forced
to face, and both were afraid that the other didn't reciprocate the feelings.
Hercules was still stunned with the revelation it had been to him.
He'd known as soon as he opened the temple doors and seen Iolaus kneeling
and being taken by Ares--his Iolaus--and it was the first time he'd
thought of Iolaus in that way. When Ares had taunted him about his
feelings for his friend, he had been furious in more ways than he could
imagine: furious with Ares for hurting Iolaus, furious with himself
for not realizing his own feelings, furious with Ares for making him face
those feelings, furious with himself for not protecting Iolaus better .
. . and, he had to admit, he was furious that Iolaus had responded to what
Ares was doing to him. And now . . . he didn't know what to do or
to say. He didn't know how to help his friend recover from being
raped, and he didn't know if there was any point to ever expressing his
newly-discovered feelings. As a matter of fact, he felt pretty useless,
only good for throwing his weight around. And at the same time, the
picture of Iolaus, kneeling, bound, and bloody, with Ares pumping into
him, kept etching itself deeper into his mind.

Iolaus was similarly lost
and baffled. He felt perfectly fine physically, so he thought he
should feel fine emotionally too. But he didn't. He was horrified
remembering how his body had betrayed him, how much it had craved Ares'
rough ministrations. And he was horrified at the thought of how much
certain things Ares did had turned him on, just by their nature.
He knew he liked being done to--Xena had taught him that--but he
hadn't realized how entirely he wanted to be used and possessed.
If Hercules were to take him like that . . . slap him across the face--his
cock stirred at the thought--no it would never happen, so why torture himself?
Hercules would never reciprocate his feelings, and he would be repulsed
by the nature of Iolaus' desires. It was hopeless . . . or was it?

Finally, Iolaus broke the
silence. "Um . . . Herc . . . what he said in there . . . about us,
I know it wasn't true. So let's just forget it, OK?"

Hercules felt a cold hand
clutch him inside his gut. He had been hoping that maybe, just maybe,
Iolaus felt the way he did, but he obviously didn't and was eager to put
Ares' reckless claims behind him. In response, he uttered a curt,
"Yeah."

Well, that's it, then,
thought Iolaus to himself. He had held out a slight hope that Hercules
would confess that Ares had spoken truly, but Hercules' curt response indicated
that Ares' words were, in fact, the farthest thing from the truth--where
Hercules was concerned. What good was it to learn who the love of
your life was, if you could never have him? And Hercules had seen
him--like that--degraded and violated and by all appearances loving every
second of it.

Iolaus stumbled, his vision
blurry. Hercules turned to him, all thoughts of his own desires gone.
"Iolaus . . . " he began.

"No!" exclaimed the blond.
"I'm fine. Really."

"Iolaus," Hercules said gently,
"I'm your friend. Please. Don't feel you have to bottle
it up inside you. Let me help you. Let it out." He gestured
to a fallen log, and sat down, patting the log beside him. Iolaus
sat down hesitantly, still fighting tears, but finally gave in to all the
pain that was sweeping through him. Hercules put a strong arm around
his shoulder, pulled him close, and let him sob. With the floodgates
opened, Iolaus finally realized that what he needed was to be taken care
of. Regardless of all the baggage between them now, Herc was still
his best friend, someone who would offer all he had including his life
for Iolaus. He had to be able to trust someone now--he felt
stripped bare, raw, and exposed, and he had to accept the help Hercules
offered.

Iolaus pressed closer to
the muscular body of his friend, clutching Hercules' shirt in one hand.
The arm around him was strong and warm, and he gratefully leaned into it.
As the flow of tears began to abate, the flow of words started. "At
first . . . I was just . . . scared . . . mad too . . . I figured out .
. . why he chose me . . . so it would bother you . . . of course
. . . but he wants Xena back, you know . . . he's not going to let her
go that easy . . . I talked back to him . . . and he slapped me . . . but
after he put that thing on me . . . it felt good . . . I . . . tried everything
I could think of . . . you know . . . to get rid of my hard-on . . . but
it was like it had its own mind . . . well, more than usual," Iolaus laughed
harshly. "I . . . hated him . . . I loathed him . . . and
my body wanted . . . more . . . and . . . more . . . even the knife . .
. I'd be hating him . . . and my body . . . kept reaching
for him . . . wanted to come like you wouldn't believe . . . I . . . had
no control . . . at all . . . and it felt . . . so . . . good . .
. and I hated it too . . . ." Here he burst into renewed tears at
the thing he couldn't say--that he would have loved that loss of control
if he had been in the hands of someone he could trust, that someone being
Hercules. He continued, "Hated it . . . because it was him
. . . so degrading . . . like I was invaded everywhere . . . none of my
body was . . . my own . . . and you had to see me that way!" At this
point, words failed him, and he sobbed even more strongly, while Hercules
wrapped both arms around him and just held on.

In the safety of those arms,
Iolaus cried and mourned what had been taken from him. Hercules'
lips were pressed to his hair, and he was rocking him gently. He
murmured soothingly, "I'll take care of you, whatever you need, keep you
safe, give you all the time you want. I'll help you through this
any and every way I can."

When the tears subsided,
Iolaus looked up at Hercules pitifully and asked, "Take me home?"
Hercules helped him up, put an arm around him, and they continued on their
way. He gratefully climbed into his bed at home and somewhat grumpily
accepted the broth Hercules pressed on him. He didn't want to sleep
alone, and Hercules slipped into the bed beside him, putting an arm around
him, so that Iolaus could curl up with his head on his shoulder.

He was troubled with nightmares,
but whenever he got agitated, Hercules would stroke his hair and soothe
him until he fell back asleep. Hercules did not sleep much himself.
His brain roiled with turbulent emotions--rage at Ares, concern for Iolaus,
fear of his own inadequacy in this situation, and the torment of being
convinced his love was not reciprocated. Iolaus needs a friend
right
now, he reminded himself. That's all that matters.
Looking down at the lithe body in his arms, he felt an overwhelming tenderness
come over him, and it brought tears to his eyes. Ares had won, he
thought dispiritedly--he had hit on the precise way to hurt his half-brother
the most, and that was because he understood Hercules' feelings for Iolaus
much better than Hercules himself had. He also mourned. He
knew Iolaus was resilient and would recover, but it was as if the door
he'd always wanted to open had been opened for just a sliver of light to
come through and then been slammed shut again.

He also had some concern
for Xena. From what Iolaus had said, it was evident she'd been a
favorite of Ares, and he knew that his role in Xena's redemption was one
more cause for a grudge against him by his half-brother. Having made
love to her probably made it worse, he reflected, and he wondered if it
was that that had spurred Ares to take such a terrible revenge by raping
Iolaus. But Hercules refused to blame himself for Ares' actions.
He was more concerned about the temptations the war god would undoubtedly
offer the warrior princess to get her back in his camp. He hoped
that what he'd read in her eyes and her heart was accurate--that she'd
have the strength and will to resist all calls back to her darker side.

Iolaus proved indeed resilient.
After a few days of lying around and letting himself be taken care of,
which Hercules did thoughtfully and tenderly--holding him when he cried,
soothing him when he had bad dreams, and bringing him his favorite treats
prepared by Alcmene--, Iolaus announced he was restless and wanted to go
kick some butt. Fortunately an opportunity presented itself in the
form of a contingent from an army that belonged to a warlord named Draco,
who had been raiding villages for slaves and supplies.

Hercules and Iolaus travelled
to the next village along Draco's route, helped the villagers set up some
defenses, and cut a wide swath through the army when it arrived.
Hercules flung soldiers across the village square, cracked heads together,
and turned soldiers' own weapons against them, knocking down four or five
men at a time with a single swing of a spear. Iolaus fought like
a fury, his body in continuous edgy motion, dropping soldiers with spinning
kicks and solid punches, and wielding his sword with focused intensity.

He and Hercules then began
fighting back to back, with their seamless choreography developed over
years together and fine tuned by their impeccable reading of each other's
movements and nonverbal signals. Iolaus would duck and kick out,
upending one attacker, while another sailed over him only to collide with
the demigod's fist. Hercules pulled Iolaus over his back, and Iolaus
kicked two attackers in the face at once, before landing on his feet.
Hercules leapt in the air, his legs out in front of him, to avoid a slashing
sword, and Iolaus disarmed the attacker with a kick to his wrist before
Hercules landed again and kicked the soldier halfway across the village
square. Several men were rushing them at once, and Hercules bent
over, so that Iolaus could roll across his back, lashing out with his feet.
Iolaus had drawn his sword and was fighting his way through a group of
soldiers, while Hercules heard footsteps behind him and smashed his fist
backward into first one and then the other soldier's face.

Whenever Iolaus had a second
to glance up, he watched Hercules fight, his chestnut hair whipping around
his face as he whirled, and his teeth bared in ferocious concentration.
As the demigod picked up a staff and swung it wide circles, knocking soldier
after soldier off his feet, Iolaus sighed. He'd never realized before
how exciting it was to watch Hercules fight. If he hadn't been so
busy, he would have found it downright arousing. He had always admired
Hercules' strength and power, but now he found it utterly intoxicating.
Hercules' yell of "Heads!" broke his reverie, and he ducked and rolled
under the trajectory of a spear that was zooming toward him. Instantly,
he was back in action, duelling fiercely with his sword, and spinning around
to kick attackers approaching from behind.

Grabbed by two soldiers,
he flipped backward and out of their grasp, then dived into a swift roll
so as to collide with and upend a soldier who was about to set a thatched
roof alight with a torch. Iolaus caught the torch as it flew out
of the man's hands, doused it in the dirt, and then began wielding it as
a finely-balanced club. Hercules reached up and caught an arrow that
was whizzing toward him, glancing at Iolaus with every opportunity.
He was captivated by his friend's lithe quickness, agility, and dexterity.
And then there was the way those golden curls reflected the sunlight .
. . Almost abstractedly, he smacked soldiers with lazy blows of his
fists and half-strength kicks.

At this point, Draco's men
had had enough. A retreat was called, and the ones left standing
ran stumbling out of the village. Iolaus kicked one retreating soldier
in the rear, yelling, "Don't let the gates hit you in the ass on the way
out!" Hercules was just beaming, gazing on his friend with unabashed
affection and delight. Iolaus turned toward him, and his face lit
up with a sparkling grin. "I needed that," he laughed.

Hercules was leaning back
against a wall, his arms folded across his chest, still beaming proudly.
"You were a sight to behold," he said fondly. "When you stopped that
guy from lighting that fire . . . "

The village mayor invited
them to the tavern for a free meal, which they accepted. It was the
first time Iolaus had felt at all sociable, and he determined to take advantage
of it. While he drank ale and downed a filling meal, he kept wondering
at the open and delighted smile he had seen on Hercules' face when the
fight was over. Did Herc feel more for him than friendship, after
all? Naw, thought Iolaus, he's probably just glad I'm feeling
better.

***

Hercules dreamed he was circling
a standing Iolaus, bound with his arms above his head. He was roughly
claiming Iolaus' body as his property, stroking his hands firmly down the
blond's bound arms, down his back and sides, and grasping handfuls of ass
and squeezing hard. He then clamped his hand around the front of
Iolaus' throat and latched onto the spot where his shoulder met his neck
with his teeth, biting and sucking it until he left a swelling, purple
bruise. Then he was pushing inside of Iolaus, while his fingers gripped
Iolaus' nipples hard. Iolaus was moaning as Hercules pounded into
him, immobilizing him with the strength of his arms . . .

He woke up, startled out
of his dream by sound. Iolaus was sitting up in the bed, his face
in his hands, crying and trying to stifle the sound. Still groggy,
and shocked at his dream, which in his half-awake state he associated with
Iolaus' tears, Hercules was overwhelmed by a wave of guilt. Had he
done anything to Iolaus in his sleep? "Iolaus," he asked tentatively,
"what is it?"

"I . . . I thought I was
better," Iolaus answered brokenly. "I felt so good yesterday.
But this morning . . . I must have been dreaming about Ares . . . I thought
I heard his voice in my ear . . . and I woke up and saw you, and I thought
of you seeing me like that--how can you stand to be around me?"

"You're my best friend,"
said Hercules gently, lightly stroking Iolaus' hair, afraid to touch him
anywhere else. "Nothing Ares did has changed that." At least
not in the way you think it has, he added silently to himself.

"But he degraded me.
I'll never be myself again."

"No!" exclaimed Hercules
urgently. "He didn't change who you are. He didn't change how
I see you." The demigod inwardly cursed himself, thinking, He
would hate me if he knew I dreamed of him like that.

Iolaus sighed and whispered,
"He changed how I see myself. I keep thinking it was my fault."

Hercules turned to him and
took his hands carefully between his own. "Iolaus, listen to me.
Look at me. It. Was. Not. Your. Fault.
He forced you, and he used a charm on you, and he's a god,
Iolaus. There was nothing you could do to resist him."

Iolaus nodded half-heartedly.
He was thinking of how much he wanted to surrender himself to the man he
loved and how horrific it was to have his will taken away from him by force.
But he couldn't explain all of this to Hercules. "You're right,"
was what he finally said. "I just can't get the memories out of my
mind."

"I don't know how to help
you with that," said Hercules helplessly. "But time will diminish
the pain. You can't expect to be better all at once. We will
get you through this."

"I just feel like such a
burden on you," muttered Iolaus bitterly. "I can't even take care
of myself. I'm afraid to sleep by myself."

"You don't have to
take care of yourself," said Hercules emphatically. "And you're not
a burden. Friends take care of each other. Please don't push
me away because you think you should be over this by now."

Iolaus hated feeling so needy,
but he craved comfort. He wanted so much more from Hercules than
just being held, but he would settle for whatever contact he could get.
He looked up into the demigod's soft, guileless blue eyes and asked, "Will
you hold me?"

"Of course," said Hercules,
wrapping his arms around Iolaus and pulling him close. "And please
don't feel bad about asking for help." Hercules paused, then continued,
"You have to understand that none of this is your fault. Being
. . . my friend makes you a target. That's how the gods operate,"
he noted in disgust. "Maybe I shouldn't have let anyone close to
me in my life, but I can't live like that. And now I have to live
with knowing my best friend was hurt because of his connection with me
. . . "

"Herc . . . " Iolaus interjected.

"No, let me finish.
And
I probably brought this on, inadvertently, because of Xena."

"Yeah," said Iolaus, still
pressing close to Hercules. "When he mentioned her, I figured he
had more than a casual interest in her, and he grabbed me . . . because
I was safe," he finished darkly.

"I should have realized Xena
was a favorite of his," said Hercules.

Iolaus looked up to him with
clear blue eyes. "And if you had, Herc, it wouldn't have made any
difference. You would have done exactly the same thing--the right
thing. You've never let worrying about what the gods might do stop
you before."

Hercules nodded, his face
drawn with pain. "But because of me, you got hurt."

Iolaus said quietly, "It's
not the first time, my friend, and it probably won't be the last.
I long ago accepted the risks of being your partner. It's just
. . . hard right now. But you're right; we'll get through this .
. . eventually."

***

A few more days passed in
which Iolaus fluctuated between feeling almost like his old self and feeling
depressed and dispirited. He remained afraid to sleep alone and deeply
ashamed of his fear, but Hercules was so gentle and matter-of-fact about
it, that Iolaus felt more at ease about asking for the support he needed.

For his part, Hercules would
stay awake for a while each night, holding Iolaus in his arms, reverently
contemplateing every detail he could see: the tangled mane of golden
curls; the curve of an ear, set off with a gold earring; the slope of the
cheekbone down to the line of the jaw; the enticing lips; the tempting
throat; the knotted hardness of biceps and the swelling firmness of pectorals;
the brown, alert nipples; and the flat abdomen and lean waist tapering
under the covers. How had it taken him so many years to realize how
beautiful Iolaus was, he would wonder. And why had it taken Ares
to force him to realize his own feelings?

At first, Hercules had tried
to fight the feelings of not only desire, but the desire to possess
that Iolaus inspired in him. Then he stopped fighting them.
What did it matter? Iolaus regarded him as a friend, nothing more,
and Hercules decided it didn't matter whether he wanted Iolaus as his lover,
or whether he wanted to own him as well. Either way, he had to keep
his desires to himself. At first, he had thought his possessive yearnings
made him no better than Ares, but in the quiet nights, with time to reflect,
and with Iolaus' head on his shoulder, Hercules came to understand that
this was something altogether different. His feelings for Iolaus
mingled love, friendship, admiration, and respect, and he would never force
him to do anything against his will.

***

One morning he thought to
help Iolaus' mood with a change of scene and proposed a short fishing trip.
Iolaus looked skeptical, but Hercules assured him, "I'll fish the conventional
way, OK?"

Iolaus agreed, and they set
off to a spot about half a day's hike from home. At first Hercules
felt impatient sitting on the bank of the stream, holding a fishing pole,
when he could easily wade into the water and grab as many fish as they
might need, but he reminded himself the purpose of this expedition was
relaxation. Iolaus looked content, staring meditatively at the water,
and Hercules decided to relax too and settled himself in a more comfortable
position. The breeze ruffled his hair and whispered under the chamois
of his shirt, the sun sparkled on the water in brilliant bursts, and the
stream rushed and rippled and sang in a soothing voice.

Hercules began really to
relax, and he glanced at Iolaus, seeing his body unmarked by the tension
with which he had been holding himself since Ares' assault. They
sat mostly in silence, the myriad things they wanted to say to each other
receding slightly under the calming influence of a peaceful day.
Somehow, whenever Hercules turned to gaze at Iolaus, Iolaus was staring
straight in front of him, and somehow, whenever Iolaus turned to gaze at
Hercules, Hercules also didn't notice. Their only real conversation
that day consisted of practical details about building a fire and cooking
their catch. Iolaus was tired and went to sleep early, reassured
by the presence of the demigod beside him. For his part, Hercules
brooded, his elbows propped on his knees and his chin in his hands.

His musings were interruped
by the sound of wings and the sight of Cupid landing near him. Hercules
glanced at Iolaus, and Cupid said, "Don't worry. I'll make sure he
doesn't wake up till I'm gone. Can we talk a little, Uncle Herc?"
Hercules got up and walked a few paces away and sat down again, and Cupid
dropped beside him. "Listen," he said, "I wanted to apologize again.
I shouldn't have let that charm out of my sight, but I flaked, and Iolaus
got hurt . . . "

"Hey," said Hercules.
"Don't blame yourself. Yes, you should have kept an eye on that thing,
but what happened to Iolaus isn't your fault. Ares would have done
it anyway. All your charm did was let him go about it differently
than he usually does," he concluded, his face briefly twisting with fury.

"Well, I'm sorry it happened,
man. But there's something else I wanna talk to you about.
When are you going to chill and do something about your feelings for Iolaus?"

"Uncle Herc, please.
You could fool yourself for years, man, but you can't fool me.
I'm the god of love, dude!"

"All right!" snapped Hercules.
"You're right, but I can't do anything about it. He's made
it very clear he doesn't feel that way about me, and I'm not going to do
anything that will get in the way of our friendship."

Cupid laughed uproariously.
"Uncle Herc, you are so without a clue! Iolaus has got it
as bad as you do, man. I couldn't give it to him worse with
one of my arrows. He thinks you're the one who doesn't want
him."

"Let go, dude!" exclaimed
Cupid, rubbing his arm when Hercules released it. "I'm not
joking, Unc. This is the real thing, and if you don't go for
it, you'll be the biggest dork this side of the river Styx."

"Cross my heart," said Cupid.
"Yes, Uncle Herc, I'm serious. He's scared the same reason you are--he
thinks you don't feel that way about him, and he thinks that you'll be
grossed out by exactly what he does want, which happens to be the
same thing you want. He's yours for the taking, man, and man, does
he want to be taken! I was hoping one of you guys would figure it
out and say something, but you're like totally reading each other's minds
and totally wanting the same thing, and both too chicken to say anything.
Shit, man!" he concluded disgustedly.

Hercules' heart was racing,
and his cheeks flamed with an onrush of blood. "If you're not telling
me the truth . . . " he began to threaten.

"Yeah, you'll pull my wings
off a feather at a time, what-ev-er. I'm not fucking with
you, Uncle Herc, especially after what happened. And I know
what I'm talking about here. I was right about you, wasn't
I?"

"OK, sorry!" gasped Hercules.
"What should I say to him? Where do I start?"

"Hey!" said the young god,
standing up. "I'm not going to do all the work for you, dude.
But here's something that'll help later--you ought to travel more prepared.
Later!"

"Thank you, Cupid," whispered
Hercules wonderingly, not really recognizing the significance of
what appeared in his hand, as his nephew flew off. He walked over
to where Iolaus was sleeping, dropped onto his knees and murmured under
his breath, "I love you, I love you, I love you, and I want you to be mine."
He spent the night gazing at his friend and wondering what to say and how
to say it.

***

When Hercules awoke it was
mid-morning. His breakfast was waiting for him, and Iolaus was sitting
on the bank, a fishing pole loosely held in his hands. Hercules still
didn't know what to say, so he settled on "Good morning."

"Well, aren't we lazy today?"
called back the blond cheerfully.

"I'm on vacation," grumbled
Hercules, sitting up to eat some breakfast. He then sat down next
to Iolaus with his fishing pole. He had no idea where to start, and
he had to fight to stop himself from glancing over to stare at Iolaus every
minute. Every so often, he'd open his mouth to speak, but realize
there were no words waiting there. His stomach twisted with anxiety
and suspense, and he suddenly snapped his fishing pole with nervous fingers.

"Whoa, Herc, what's up?"
asked Iolaus.

Suddenly a calm certainty
settled on the demigod, that calm certainty that always pervaded him when
he knew he was doing the right thing. He moved right next to Iolaus,
deliberately removed the fishing pole from his hands and set it aside,
took Iolaus' hands in his own, and looked directly into his eyes.
"What's up," said Hercules, "is that I love you. And that's not all.
I want you to belong to me completely."

Iolaus' eyes widened, and
his face lit up with a dazzling smile that took Hercules' breath away.
"Really?" he gulped. "As in you mean it?"

Hercules nodded, a slow smile
turning up his lips and beaming from his eyes. "Really. As
in I mean it."

"Works for me," gasped Iolaus,
short of breath and reeling inside as what he thought to be impossible
was now coming true.

Hercules slid one large hand
along Iolaus' muscled upper arm, then used his other hand to grasp the
back of Iolaus' neck. Iolaus seemed to melt under his touch, and
he tightened his grip slightly on the blond's neck, noting that Iolaus
seemed to melt even more. Interesting, Cupid must have been right,
thought the demigod to himself, as he drew Iolaus up to his mouth.
As their lips came together, both were overwhelmed with the feelings that
rushed over them, the predominant ones being amazement and relief
that their long-held and closely guarded desires were being realized.
Their tongues entwined as Hercules explored Iolaus' mouth, then gave way
to suck Iolaus' tongue into his own.

Hercules pushed Iolaus onto
his back, descending with him so as not to break their locked mouths for
an instant. He wanted to touch Iolaus everywhere, but he wasn't ready
to relinquish his mouth. Supporting himself on one arm, he ran his
fingers through Iolaus' blond curls, noting at the same time that Iolaus'
hands were firmly clamped on his waist. Still kissing and letting
himself be kissed, he rubbed a curl between his thumb and forefinger, delighting
in its silky feel. Then, racked by a spasm of desire, he tightened
the grasp of his hand in Iolaus' hair, wrapping his fingers firmly into
it and pulling against the scalp. His roughness was rewarded with
a moan. As their mouths briefly parted for air, Iolaus gasped, his
blue eyes wide with urgency, "Don't ever stop--please Herc--take me any
way you want--but don't let go of me--please!"

Hercules' hand tightened
a fraction more firmly on Iolaus' hair, and he said, breathlessly, "Does
this seem like I'm letting go?" before diving in to reclaim Iolaus' mouth,
drawing his lower lip into his mouth and tasting it fully before plunging
in his tongue again. Iolaus sucked it ferociously. A tremor
ran through his body as the demigod's large hand lightly stroked his upper
arm. Wherever Hercules touched him, Iolaus could sense his strength
and power humming just under the surface, and he was nearly delirious with
the desire to surrender to those forces.

Hercules, at last, had to
release Iolaus' mouth. With his fingertips he traced the line from
the blond's cheekbone along his jaw that he had so often followed with
his eyes the past several nights. He kissed and licked his way down
Iolaus' neck, pausing to taste the hollow at its base with a circling motion
of his tongue.
Gods . . . even his tongue is strong, mused Iolaus
to himself, feeling the pressure on his neck; I can't wait to see what
else he does with it.

For his own part, Hercules
was rediscovering the pleasures of a well-muscled male body as his hand
travelled Iolaus' chest, letting his eyes and fingers feast on the firm
curves and ridges straining under the flesh. He knew that Iolaus
had had a series of lovers, male and female, but Hercules hadn't been with
a man since before his marriage. Suddenly, his fingers latched onto
one nipple, while his lips claimed the other. Iolaus groaned, pushing
his hips up to meet his lover's torso, his cock straining against the confinement
of his clothes. Hercules moved his hand to lay it flat on that very
part of Iolaus' anatomy, pushing him back down. "Patience," he almost
growled, "I'll get there in my own good time."

"Oh, yeah," Iolaus murmured
to himself, and Hercules smiled to himself while worrying a nipple with
his teeth. Cupid definitely was right, he reflected, and he
was thrilled that Iolaus' desire to follow seemed to mesh so perfectly
with his own desire to lead. He experimentally began twisting the
nipple he had been pressing between his fingers, and a long "Ohhhhhh!"
escaped the figure beneath him. Hercules sat up, so he could use
both hands on those tempting nipples and have the pleasure of watching
the effects of his ministrations on Iolaus' face. He pinched both
nipples, applying a steadily increasing pressure, then twisted them simultaneously.
He was gratified to see Iolaus writhe and moan, his lips parted and his
face open and vulnerable.

Why in Tartarus did I
wait so long to do this? thought Hercules to himself. "You're
beautiful when you're aroused," he murmured huskily, then released the
nipples he'd been tormenting, only to brush his thumbs across them lightly,
which sent a shudder rippling through Iolaus' body. He laid a possessive
hand on the organ that was still trying to burst out of its restraints.
A pang of pure lust hit the demigod with the force of a blow, and he hurriedly
began unbuckling Iolaus' belt and unfastening his pants, grateful that
he hadn't bothered to put on his boots this morning. As he pulled
everything off, Iolaus sat up slightly to shrug out of his vest.
It didn't matter to Hercules that he'd seen Iolaus naked before; in the
demigod's eyes, the blond was perfect, radiant. And it thrilled him
to see that organ so rampant for him.

"Didn't I say something about
patience?" asked the demigod, with an edge of mock exasperation in his
voice. Iolaus' hands were clutching convulsively in the grass, and
Hercules deliberately clamped a hand over each wrist, pinning them down.
Iolaus emitted a strangled groan, his hips thrusting. Hercules smiled.
"Of course I could just leave that beautiful cock of yours like that all
day," he remarked lightly. "It's quite a sight."

"You wouldn't!" exclaimed
Iolaus.

"Well, I might," said Hercules,
"but not today." He scooted down so he could reach Iolaus' yearning
groin with his mouth, while bringing Iolaus' arms to his sides, so he could
keep his wrists pinned and immobilize his hips at the same time.
There were advantages to having large hands. With his powerful tongue,
he scooped up the heavy testicles, tasting and lapping at them while Iolaus
almost whimpered in frustration, unable even to thrust with Hercules holding
him down. Then he finally turned his attention to the throbbing erection
before him. Again, he had to taste it with long sweeps of his tongue
before deciding that he'd experimented enough.

He practically inhaled the
whole of it into his mouth, sucking hard, and gliding the firm O of his
lips up and down it. Iolaus frantically wriggled, wanting to thrust
upward into the moist warmth that enclosed his cock, but Hercules held
him down even more firmly. He was going to control all the sensation
Iolaus received, and he was enjoying Iolaus' incoherent exclamations of
"Oh! Please! Herc! Herc! Please! Oh yeah!
Oh please! HERC!" As Hercules sucked even harder, Iolaus cried
out as sensation boiled over in his immobilized body, bursting through
his cock, and the demigod released his hips, letting him pump his seed
into his mouth.

Hercules cleaned off the
now limp organ with his tongue, then sat up, resting his hand on Iolaus'
chest so as to feel the sharp rise and fall of his shuddering breaths before
taking possession of his mouth again. Then he murmured, "I don't
want to break the mood here, but I do have to ask--I want to fuck you,
Iolaus--are you OK with that?"

"Thank you for being considerate,
Herc, and asking," said Iolaus with a smile, his eyes shining. "And
I'm telling you now that you don't have to ask any more. I'm yours
for the taking. I love you."

"I love you too," said Hercules
with a warm smile. "Be right back." He pulled off his own clothes,
then rummaged among their gear for Cupid's present, which now that he had
realized why Cupid had left it, he was a little embarrassed about, Cupid
being his nephew. But he is the god of love, he reminded himself.
"Cupid left us a handy present last night," he explained with a sheepish
grin as he settled down again between Iolaus' parted knees. "He thinks
we should travel more prepared."

"Well, he's right," asserted
Iolaus. "From now on we should take his advice in that area."

Hercules poured a generous
coating of oil from Cupid's vial on his hand, then began to tease the outside
of Iolaus' puckered opening with one oil-slick fingertip, rubbing it in
small circles. When he slid one finger past the tight ring of muscle,
Iolaus squirmed impatiently. "Please, Herc," he begged, "I want you
inside me. I've done this before, Herc! You know that."

"Yes, but you haven't done
this before with me, and I'm not going to hurt you. Understand?"

Iolaus nodded, taking another
look at the son of Zeus' imposing member and realizing Hercules' patience
was probably a good idea. He willed his body to relax, easily accomodating
another finger, and soon thereafter a third, slipping in and out of him
on a thick layer of oil. Finally, he felt the head of Hercules' well-lubricated
cock pressing at his anus. He shifted his body to better accomodate
his lover, and Hercules simply lifted up his hips, holding them in right
position. As the demigod's cock began penetrating the tight passage,
Iolaus tossed his head back and forth and grabbed handfuls of grass to
hold onto. The sensation was overwhelming--his anus burned and stretched
and filled, sending jolts down his legs that turned them to jelly.
Once all the way in, Hercules paused. "Put your legs on my shoulders,"
he commanded mildly, and when Iolaus obeyed, he began sliding Iolaus back
and forth on his cock, gripping him tightly about the hips.

Iolaus felt like a flexible
puppet in Hercules' powerful hands, and he was utterly intoxicated at being
subject to such strength. He gazed raptly at Hercules' face.
The demigod had his teeth bared and was emitting a series of low growls
as he tossed his long chestnut hair behind him, and the cords of his neck
stood out. The muscles in his arms were swelling with the effort
of supporting most of Iolaus' weight, and he pulled and pushed the lithe
body back and forth on his engorged organ. Iolaus was hard again
too, which Hercules noticed, as he looked down at the body he was impaling.
"Go ahead," said Hercules between clenched teeth. "My hands are kind
of full."

Iolaus gratefully grasped
his own cock with one hand, thrusting into it with each jolt of his hips.
The tempo increased, and the demigod's growls escalated into a roar as
he convulsed in climax, and a few moments later Iolaus stroked himself
to completion. After some adjusting, Iolaus was kneeling, straddling
Hercules' legs, and they were kissing between murmured "I love you's."

***

Thinking it was perhaps tempting
fate to spend the entire day naked, hoping no one else came around, they
decided to get dressed and head for home, where the privacy of a bedroom
was waiting.

At first they didn't make
very rapid progress. Hercules kept feeling impelled to pull Iolaus
into his arms and plunder his mouth with his tongue. Iolaus didn't
raise any objections, but they eventually decided that their time would
be better spent travelling, so they could reach their bed sooner.

"There is something I've
been meaning to talk to you about," said Hercules as they walked, "and
now it's even more important that we talk about it."

"Xena?" asked Iolaus.

"Uh-huh."

Iolaus nodded and said, "Maybe
you better start."

Hercules replied, "OK, I
will. When you and Xena first went off together, I thought it just
bothered me because we didn't know anything about her, and I was worried
I'd lose you as a friend. But it was really tearing at me, much more
than it should have. At that point, I had no real reason to suspect
anything of her. Now it makes sense. I was jealous.
Of her. I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at her.
I wanted to be the one you spent a week in bed with. I don't know
why I couldn't admit that to myself."

Iolaus responded, eagerly.
"The same thing happened to me, Herc. I thought I was jealous of
you when you and Xena got together. I couldn't imagine it was anything
else. She was so . . .well . . . incredible, and I kept having visions
of her doing things with you she'd done with me. I was still mad
at her for making a fool of me, and mad at myself for letting her, and
mad at you for falling for her. But that wasn't the thing that was
really eating away at me. I was jealous of her for being with
you."

"I have to be honest with
you about her," said Hercules. "I'll always have feelings for her.
Damn it, I'll always love her. We did recognize something in each
other that lies very deep. But she's not meant to be my partner any
more than I'm meant to be hers. We could never stay together, and
she knew that before I did. You're the one I want to spend
my life with."

"I understand about Xena,"
said Iolaus wryly. "That's not important now. When Ares said
what he did about my feelings for you, it was unbelievable. I've
never had that same feeling of being struck with a thunderbolt before.
Everything just fell into place." Now finally released, the words
tumbled out in a torrent. "Ever since we were kids, there's always
been this edge to my friendship with you, this dark shadow. I could
never put my finger on it. At my most insightful, I figured it was
envy--I'd never be as strong as you, I'd never get the recognition you
did, yadda, yadda, yadda. I'd be kidding myself if I didn't feel
that sometimes, but it never accounted for that . . . shadow that was hovering.
It didn't even occur to me that my feelings toward you were more than friendship,
loyalty, and brotherhood. I thought my friendship for you was so
strong because my own family was so useless, and you represented family
to me, a brother and a best friend. But I was always wanting more
without even recognizing what I wanted. And that feeling of wanting
became so familiar, so much a part of me, that I learned to ignore it or
pretend it meant something else. I don't know what it means that
it took Ares to make me see it."

Hercules gently enclosed
one of Iolaus' hands in his. "It means we're pretty clueless, both
of us. But the feelings are real for all that. I love you,
Iolaus."

"I love you too, Herc."

Hercules looked about to
say something more but was hesitating. Iolaus gently laid a hand
on his arm and asked, "What is it, Herc? There's more on your mind."

Hercules nodded, then looked
hard at Iolaus. "I wasn't too rough with you, back there, was I?
I don't want to do anything to you that will hurt you or make you uncomfortable."

Iolaus grinned, blushing
slightly. "No, you weren't too rough, Herc. Far from it.
I guess . . . I have both Xena and Ares to thank for showing me that .
. . I want to be . . . taken . . . owned . . . overwhelmed. What
was so awful about Xena using me like that and even worse about . . . what
Ares did . . . was realizng how much I wanted to be with someone I could
trust, y'know? Someone I could give myself to." Another
self-deprecating grin broke out on Iolaus' face. "Your strength really
turns me on, Herc. I just want to lose myself in knowing you
can do whatever you want with me--but it's not just that. I can trust
you, Herc--I can let you all the way in. I was just so afraid you'd
be disgusted if you knew I wanted that."

Hercules felt it was time
for a grand gesture. He swept Iolaus up in his arms and brought his
mouth to his own. Then he smiled, also somewhat embarrassed.
"And
I
was afraid of how possessive I've been feeling towards you,
how much I wanted to make you mine. I thought it would frighten
you, especially after what happened."

Resting in the comfortable
strength of the demigod's arms, Iolaus shook his head. "It's entirely
different, Herc. Ares forced me; he took something from me that wasn't
his to take. And it was . . . so hard . . . because I realized I
wanted to give that to you."

"You will," said Hercules
with quiet emphasis. "You're still you, and it's all of you
I want."

Iolaus looked radiant, with
the afternoon sun glinting off his hair, and his blue eyes flashing.
"All I have to give is yours for the taking, Hercules. And I mean
that with both my body and my soul."

***

Realizing they hadn't eaten
since breakfast, they grabbed a quick meal in a tavern before heading for
the forge. Hercules impatiently pulled Iolaus into the small bedroom
and began lighting some candles for illumination. Both men were humming
with impatience and nervous anticipation. "Are you ready for this?"
asked the demigod, forcing patience into his voice.

"Yes," said Iolaus his eyes
shining, "anything you want, any way you want me."

"Right now, I want you naked,"
said Hercules. Iolaus quickly complied. "On the bed, on your
knees," ordered Hercules, amazed at how calm his voice was. He was
shaking inside, overwhelmed by how much he wanted to do this and afraid
he wouldn't be any good at it. He took a visual inventory of his
lover's body, awed that all this wealth would belong to him.
And then he realized exactly what he wanted to do, what he had to
do.

As he laid claim to each
part of Iolaus' body, he spoke, the simple words binding them together
in a ritual of possession and surrender. Hercules grasped a handful
of Iolaus' golden hair--"this is mine"--, pulled his head back and kissed
him deeply--"this is mine"--, laid his hand on Iolaus' exposed neck--"this
is mine"--, trailed his fingertips down the length of Iolaus' arms--"these
are mine"--, stroked his hand down Iolaus' back--"this is mine"--, pinched
both nipples firmly between his fingers--"these are mine"--, swept his
hand down Iolaus' stomach--"this is mine"--, rested a hand on each of Iolaus'
thighs--"these are mine"--, caressed and squeezed Iolaus' buttocks--"this
is mine"--, drew a finger lightly along Iolaus' cleft, lingering along
the entrance to his body--"this is mine"--, weighed Iolaus' balls in his
hand--"these are mine"--, and circled Iolaus' cock with his big hand--"and
this is mine. You belong to me now, Iolaus; all of you belongs to
me."

"Yes, Hercules," whispered
Iolaus, swallowing hard, almost unable to breathe. With every touch
of the demigod's possessive hand, Iolaus had been more and more elated
at how completely his desires were being realized and had felt himself
dissolving, engulfed in the quiet certainty of Hercules' claims of ownership.

"And by the way," said Hercules
with wry humor, "I don't expect you to keep your hands off every pretty
young thing that throws itself in your way, but don't you ever forget that
you're my property."

Iolaus grinned a bit shamefacedly,
tossing his hair back, and answered, "I couldn't possibly forget, Herc.
This
is what I always wanted. I pledged my life to yours back when we
were kids; I vowed to give you whatever support I could. I've belonged
to you all along--only we didn't realize it."

"Then," reflected the demigod
as he began to pull off his own clothes, "we'd better start making up for
lost time."

***

As time passed, Iolaus' conviction
that what he had with Hercules was entirely different from what Ares had
done to him was confirmed again and again. Hercules' mastery did
not flame out like Ares', just barely under control, but rather consumed
Iolaus in a quiet, steady, inexorable, slow burn that lit up all of Iolaus'
nerves, liquified his muscles, kindled a path along all his veins to his
cock, dissolved his will, and satisfied his spirit and fulfilled his desires
in a way he'd never imagined truly possible. Iolaus treasured the
way Hercules focused on him with an intense and childlike delight, as if
he were a new and long-desired gift to be perpetually unwrapped, exclaimed
over, cherished, and explored with grateful awe.

Iolaus craved dominance and
control, and Hercules provided it with calm, deliberate assurance, laying
a possessive hand lightly on Iolaus' neck, mumuring commands softly in
his ear, and quelling Iolaus' periodic impulses of rebellion by immobilizing
him effortlessly with his far-superior strength. Iolaus would inevitably
relax and melt into Hercules' strong hands and blissfully allow himself
to be used in whatever manner the son of Zeus desired or required of him.

For his part, Hercules was
not surprised to find that Iolaus was a tease. He would return to
the forge, or to the campfire when they were travelling, to find Iolaus
stretched on his side provocatively, his entire body an invitation.
Or in a group of people, Iolaus would catch the demigod's eye when no one
else was looking and languorously twirl his tongue around the tip of his
thumb or slowly slide his thumb in and out of his mouth. Hercules
found himself getting aroused at the slightest of these provocations, and
he always made his lover pay for them, at the first opportunity, by ordering
that that tantalizing mouth be put to good use in servicing him.
This, of course, was exactly what Iolaus wanted, and he felt as if there
were nowhere he'd rather be than on his knees, his mouth transfixed and
filled by the demigod's engorged cock. He would tease Hercules as
much as he could get away with, drawing out his pleasure into a torment,
enjoying the sight of his lover moaning and growling, his fingers clutching
and tugging at Iolaus' blond curls, his teeth bared as in battle, the tendons
in his neck standing out, and his hair being tossed restlessly, as his
entire body transmitted his desperate need for release.

As they explored their relationship,
moments of revelation would burst upon them, leaving them open and defenseless
and exposed to each other in a way that left that both stunned. One
day Iolaus had been talking back incorrigibly, when Hercules suddenly pushed
him onto his knees, grasped his chin, and deliberately slapped his face,
once, with his usual complete control of the strength of the blow.
A lightning bolt seemed to split the air between them, enveloping them
both in a crackling burst of mutual desire and incandescent lust.
Iolaus' mouth had fallen open, as the heat of the slap spread across his
cheek, and his eyes had shone with craving and need, while his cock sprung
from half-mast to full attention.

"Whoa," said Hercules, surprised.
"I liked that. A lot. And you've been wanting me to
do that for a long time, haven't you?" he asked, watching the unmistakable
evidence of Iolaus' response.

"Now where would you get
that idea?" retorted Iolaus, still not done causing trouble.

"Don't. Talk.
Back. Or this," said Hercules, smacking Iolaus' throbbing
cock, "is going to stay unsatisfied for a long time. You know,"
he mused, while pinching the head of Iolaus' erect organ,"I also like knowing
it's up to me whether you come or not."

"Uh-huh," was all Iolaus
managed, swaying slightly as all his muscles turned to water. They
stared at each other, two pairs of blue eyes locked together until Hercules
pulled Iolaus up to his mouth with a growl, roughly crushing the blond's
lips with his own, as his tongue ravished his mouth.

Hercules then turned Iolaus
around bodily, positioned him on his hands and knees, and said quietly,
"Stay," while he pulled off his clothes. He entered Iolaus with his
usual care and plenty of lubrication, then proceeded to fuck him as slowly
as he could manage, pulling almost all the way out before slowly penetrating
him again.

Iolaus whimpered with frustration,
but was ignored. He wanted to be filled, rammed, fucked hard.
Instead Hercules kept him still with firm hands on his hips, maintaining
the same steady, slow, unceasing pace. Gods . . . he's just using
me for his pleasure, thought Iolaus to himself. The thought made
him, if possible, even harder. "I'm yours," he whispered.

"Yes, you are," grunted Hercules
with satisfaction, now fucking Iolaus faster and harder, as his own climax
was building. With a final thrust, he filled Iolaus with his seed,
then pulled out, leaving the blond aching and empty and very, very hard.
Hercules proceeded to play with Iolaus for hours, tasting, biting, and
sucking soft spots all over his body, teasing his nipples mercilessly with
fingers and teeth, sliding his thumb into Iolaus' mouth for him to suck,
kissing him endlessly, and using his mouth or his anus whenever his own
desire flamed up again. He also tormented Iolaus' aching cock, smacking
it lightly or teasing it with light strokes of his finger or tongue.
Iolaus was writhing and squirming constantly, and Hercules held him down
with firm hands on his chest, while he circled the head of Iolaus' cock
with his tongue and probed the weeping slit. At one point, he looked
up and, grinning at his own pun, said, "I could keep this up all night."

The tension drained from
all of Iolaus' body except for his erect penis. He had an absolute
conviction that this was his place, and here he had no control, and that
was how he wanted it. Very softly, he answered, "My body is yours.
If you say no, then I don't come."

Hercules' face lit up with
a wide smile. "I hope you know that I realize just how incredibly
lucky I am," he said. "Now brace yourself." Iolaus reached
overhead for the frame of the bed, and Hercules wrapped a strong hand around
Iolaus' cock and began stroking it up and down, while Iolaus' hips pumped
in time to his movements. He came with a loud yell, splashing himself
and Hercules with semen. The demigod wet his finger with semen and
gave it to Iolaus to suck. Iolaus' mouth worked, while he closed
his eyes happily, feeling well-used and well-owned by the one person he
could give himself to completely.

***

One night, Hercules and Iolaus
had returned after a day of tracking and then fighting a large gang of
thieves who had raided a village treasury. They had successfully
returned the money and apprehended the chief of the gang, although several
members had run away during the fight. Hercules' shoulders were sore
from carrying the treasury box back to the village; the cart the thieves
had used had been damaged during the fight. He was lying on his stomach,
while Iolaus straddled him, giving him a massage. Simply rubbing
with his thumbs didn't penetrate very far into the demigod's muscles; he
had literally to pound them into submission or grind his knuckles into
them. It was hard work.

"You're so good to me, Iolaus.
You do what I tell you, you wear yourself out making me feel good, you
offer me all of yourself again and again. And it scares me sometimes,"
the demigod said hesitantly. "I'm scared of myself. Scared
that I'm not good enough for you, that I don't deserve you, that I'll let
you down."

Iolaus emitted a brief derisive
snort as if what Hercules had said was self-evident, then laid his hand
on Hercules' chest, right over his heart, where he could feel it thudding
rhythmically. "Listen to me, Herc. I know you.
I know you better than anyone else does. And I've seen sides of you
even your family has never seen. I have never for one moment imagined
that this will be easy. In fact, I'd lay odds it won't."

Hercules nodded grimly, but
began to feel soothed by the contact of that warm hand over his heart.
Then Iolaus let one of his heartstopping smiles flash across his face,
and he said, "But that doesn't matter. I dedicated my life to you
a long time ago, and I know I belong with you however you'll have me.
And I want to belong to you in whatever ways you want me,
in whatever ways you'll take me. Those are the certainties in my
life."

"I just can't help worrying
sometimes," muttered the demigod.

"Well, there's one thing
you don't have to worry about," said Iolaus soberly. "I'll always
be there for you, Herc, in any way I can." He paused, then added,
"So why don't you take advantage of it?"

Hercules shook off his bleak
mood, something he had quite a facility at doing, clasped his hands comfortably
behind his head, and said, "OK, I will. Make me feel good."

Iolaus grinned, saying, "my
pleasure." He sat at the food of the bed, proceeding to give Hercules
a foot massage. The demigod sighed happily, while Iolaus' thumbs
pressed into the balls of his feet, stroked along the arches, and rubbed
the heels. Next, he found his legs being massaged, strong fingers
digging into his calves and thighs. Iolaus then straddled Hercules,
his hands travelling over his chest and arms, tracing the contours of pectorals
and biceps, and lightly combing through the hair on Hercules' chest, while
he reflected how lucky he was to have this body to fondle.

Seeming to read his thoughts,
Hercules momentarily grasped his wrists, asking, "Are you doing this for
yourself or for me, Iolaus?"

"Yes," answered Iolaus.
"I want to make you feel good, but my hands and my mouth just crave
touching you. I mean look at you--who wouldn't?"

Iolaus turned his attention
to the demigod's nipples, circling one repeatedly with his tongue.
Hercules couldn't decide what he liked more--the sensation or the sight
of Iolaus' tongue pleasuring him. Hercules had a very high pain tolerance,
but parts of his anatomy were more sensitive than those of ordinary mortals,
and his nipples were among them. The tantalizing sensation made him
grunt with pleasure. Always thorough, Iolaus lavished similar attention
on the other nipple before moving down and readjusting himself so he could
take Hercules' cock in his mouth, while rolling his balls in his hands.
Iolaus felt Hercules grab a handful of his hair. "Don't tease
me this time," ordered Hercules. "I want to come soon--and then I
want to feel you inside me."

Iolaus nodded, not being
in a position to say "Yes, Herc," his own cock growing harder at Hercules'
commanding tone, and got to work, his head moving up and down as his mouth
travelled along the length of the demigod's engorged shaft and his throat
relaxed to take all of it in. He sucked with all his strength, and
was soon rewarded with bursts of Hercules' seed spurting down his throat,
as the demigod convulsed in orgasm, his pumping hips lifting off the bed.

Hercules rolled over invitingly
on his stomach, and Iolaus straddled him, returning to the massage he had
started earlier. When his hands got tired, he began to give the big
man's back a tongue bath, startining with a long stroke up the spine, and
continuing by licking along the length of ridges of muscle. He moved
down so his mouth could explore Hercules' ass, biting down fairly hard
on mouthfuls of flesh, knowing Hercules would appreciate the sensation
and hearing him start to groan beneath him. With his tongue, he began
toying with the dimple right where the tailbone meets the buttocks, when
Hercules groaned louder, and demanded, "Iolaus, I want you to fuck me now."

Iolaus reached for a vial
of oil, liberally coating his fingers and his own eager erection before
sliding first one, then two fingers inside. Hercules growled impatiently,
and Iolaus took this as a sign to press the head of his cock against the
tight entrance. Hercules drew up his hips, affording easier access,
and Iolaus' member was soon completely sheathed inside him. Hercules
spread his legs wider and gasped, "Brace your arms on my back. I
can support you." Iolaus complied, his hands splayed against the
wide shoulder blades and his arms straight. As he began to move,
and Hercules began moving his body to meet the thrusts, Iolaus could feel
the muscles bunching and swelling beneath his fingers, while his cock was
enveloped in the heat and friction of the demigod's body.

Hercules suddenly said, "Hold
on," and raised himself up on his hands and knees, Iolaus' weight still
on his body and Iolaus' cock still inside him. Iolaus settled himself
on his knees, and Hercules demanded hoarsely, "I need your hand now!"
Iolaus reached around to encircle Hercules' erect organ with his hand,
milking it while he drove into Hercules' ass with all of his strength.
Iolaus' climax washed over him first, as he pumped his seed into the hot
passage that surrounded his cock. His hand on Hercules' cock moved
even faster, and the demigod came with a sharp thrust into Iolaus' hand,
leaving it dripping with tendrils of lustrous fluid.

Exhausted, the lovers engaged
in a limited clean-up, using the cloths and the bowl of water they kept
by their bed. Iolaus collapsed on his side, and Hercules curled up
behind him, spoon-fashion and wrapped an arm tightly around his waist,
his hand pressing against Iolaus' chest. Iolaus snuggled closer,
feeling completely enveloped in the demigod's heat and strength.
He murmured drowsily, "I can't imagine anywhere else I'd rather be."

"Good," said Hercules, stifling
a yawn, "because I'm planning on keeping you here. My Iolaus,"
he added possessively, stroking his hand down the length of Iolaus' body
before returning it to his chest. "All mine."